


Sleepless

by mostladylikeladythateverladied



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-11 10:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2065140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostladylikeladythateverladied/pseuds/mostladylikeladythateverladied
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RinTori Week 2014 Day 2 - Late Nights<br/>Nitori repeats the cycle until it collapses upon him</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless

Nitori had to drive himself further. He had to be better, good enough for the team, good enough for his teachers, good enough for Rin.

If he had to skimp on sleep for that, it was worth the exhaustion.

It was another late night. Another evening spent in the pool, practicing until his muscles gave out. Then returning to the room he shared with Momotarou, only to crack open a text book and study until morning light.

He’d squeeze out an hour or so of sleep until classes began, then the process would repeat itself.

He was thankful for the switch in his roommate. Momotarou was a ridiculously heavy sleeper, and would always be passed out by the time he returned to their shared room. He could flip on his desk light and study until dawn without fear of being caught.

Though he missed his senpai, he would have been caught by the clever older boy after the first night. And Rin would never let him get away with abusing himself like this.

So the cycle continued, until it collapsed upon itself.

It happened during the team’s evening swim practice.

Nitori was timing his beloved senpai as he sped towards the wall, slamming his feet against the concrete and performing a perfect turn, launching himself back towards where Nitori stood.

Then a wave of dizziness overtook Nitori. He stumbled, caught himself, and then his legs gave out under him.

And he tumbled towards the water.

His next moment of awareness was of soft sheets wrapping him in glorious warmth. It had been so long since he had felt this for more than a few captured moments out of his busy schedule.

He opened his eyes to darkness. The blinds were shut, and no light filtered through their slats. He scanned the room, not seeing his disaster area of a desk. Not his own dorm then. Rin’s?

As if to answer his mental question, the door opened to reveal the object of his thoughts. His senpai walked into the room, carrying his own and Nitori’s gym bags. He must have left to retrieve their things after dropping Nitori off in his room.

Noticing Nitori was awake, he greeted, “Hey,” then dropped the bags carelessly before settling on the edge of the bed in which Nitori was lying prone.

He tried to get up, but his muscles betrayed him, locking at his sides and immobile.

“How are you feeling?” Rin questioned, avoiding eye contact with the younger boy.

“Oh, I’m fine, senpai, you didn’t need to bring me to-”

“That’s bullshit and yes I did,” Rin interrupted, glaring at his kouhai. “You collapsed into the pool and Momo dove in and pulled you out. You were _unconscious_. You passed out while standing up and could have drowned if you were alone.”

Nitori shifted his gaze away, embarrassed at having been caught. No, he was not alright, he was desperate for sleep, but his body refused to shut down when he wanted it to anymore. He had become so used to staying up all night and sleeping only for an hour or so that his body could no longer adjust back.

His muscles ached constantly and his head felt as if a hammer was mercilessly beating at his skull from the inside.

No, he was not alright. But senpai couldn’t know that. He couldn’t know that Nitori did it all for him. He couldn’t know until Nitori was strong and smart enough for his senpai.

“Yeah, I have a bit of the flu, I think. I shouldn’t have gone to practice.” Nitori plastered on a grin and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, letting false innocence show itself in his face.

Rin looked at him skeptically. “Okay. But if it happens again I’m kicking you out of practice until you’re better.”

Nitori cringed a little internally. He couldn’t afford that. He’d try to get back on a regular schedule; he’d never intended to make Rin worry.

Which was easier said than done. The damage had been done to his body, and Nitori couldn’t get back into a normal sleep cycle. He curled up in his bed after late night swim practice, foregoing studying for sleep.

But in the darkness he could only stare up at the bunk above him. His mind refused to stop working, expecting him to study until dawn.

After a full week of this, Nitori realized he had a serious problem.

He found his solution in sleeping pills discovered in the bathroom cabinet, presumably belonging to Momotarou. So that was why he slept so heavily.

He had only intended to take them for one or two nights, until his sleep patterns were back to normal.

He slept through the night two nights in a row, then a third, then a fourth. But after the fifth night of popping the pills, they stopped working, and Nitori was left sleepless once again.

“You’re looking a lot better, Ai.” Rin had commented to him once before. Rin approved of his sleeping. Nitori couldn’t disappoint his senpai.

So he took two pills on the sixth night.

He took three by the ninth night.

On the tenth night Momotarou finally noticed his depleting supply of sleeping pills. There was only one other person who could possibly access them, and the thought frightened him.

Because he had been warned that the pills could become an addiction. He had never experienced such a side effect, but if his roommate was taking them without consulting a doctor, he could very well be in danger.

Momotarou tried to catch him in the act the next night. He skipped out on taking the pills for the night and waited for his senpai to return from his late night swimming practice.

Nitori never did return, because he had collapsed a second time. Only there had been no one to save him.


End file.
